The doorbell rang and Sonia grimaced. “Sunooo, gate khol do koi aaya hai.” still holding the pieces of glass together she yelled. Ten days ago the floor-length mirror of her room suddenly broke down at midnight but instead of throwing it away she decided to make different art pieces out of that waste material. She has been great at making art with waste material ever since. 

(listen, open the door, someone has arrived.)

“Sun rahe ho? koi aaya hai? Gate khool do plz.” She again yelled at her husband and sighed while preparing herself to stand up but suddenly. “Phuppi jaan, main aa gyi.” A loud voice echoed in the home and Sonia smiled brightly. 

(Are you even listening? Please open the door, someone is here.)

(Phuppi darling, I am here.)

“Arey Neha, mera bacha,” she opened her arms to hug her niece but Neha stopped her to come and gesture towards the broken mirror. She smiled and started arranging the broken pieces of glass to make a peacock. “kesi ho beta?” without looking at Neha she asked in a hushed tone. 

(Hey Neha, my baby.)
(How are you, dear?)

“Bilkul wesi hi hu jese 10 din pehle thi.” Neha’s reply forced her to look up “Haa tune kapde bhi wo hi pehne hain.” remembering the video call of ten days ago in which Neha was flexing her new clothes Sonia broke into a chuckle and Neha looked at her clothes silently.

(Exactly the same as I was 10 days ago.)
(Yes, you are wearing the same clothes.)

“Neha.”

“ji Phuppi jaan?”

“Tujhe meri yaad nhi aati?” Sonia asked with a different level of fake anger. “10 din pehle tum log Nainital gye the, main kitna intezaar kar rhi thi tum logo ke phone ka lekin ek phone nhi kara tum logo ne, kesa raha tour? Wapas kab aaye tum log?” 

(Don't you miss me?)
(You went to Nainital 10 days ago, I was waiting so long for your call but you did not call me, how was your tour? When did you come back?)

Ignoring all the questions Neha only focused on the very first one. “Yaad aati hai phuppi jaan, tab hi to aapke paas aa kar bethi hu, warna main kahi nhi jana chahti thi.” Neha's statement was wrapped in the cloth of truth

(I miss you Phuppi jaan, that's why I am sitting here with you, otherwise I didn't want to go anywhere.)

“Haan haan, tu to bohot badi Officer ban gyi hai na? Kahi nhi jana chahti thi.” Sonia minic tha last part and gave a disappointed look to Neha while arranging the mirror pieces. 

(oh yeah, You have become a very big officer, haven't you?  “Didn’t want to go anywhere.”)

"Achha bata, birthday par kya leg? 14 ki hogi na is baar?" Sonia asked in a hushed yet cheerful tone but Neha said nothing in reply.

(okay tell me what do you want on this birthday? You will turn 14, right?)

“Aa gyi tu?” Sonia looked up at her husband who entered the room just now with this question, Neha nodded in reply and Sonia again looked towards the pieces of mirror present in front of her.  “Suno, main ye bana rahi hu, tum Neha ke liye bahar se kuch order kar do. Bachhi kab se aayi bethi hai mene paani tak nhi diya.” she muttered but her husband shoo away the topic in a friendly manner. 

(you came?)
(Listen, I am making this, you order something from outside for Neha. My baby has been sitting for a long time, I did not even give her water.)

“Rehne do wo kuch nhi khayegi.” said her husband in a loud yet friendly voice, just like his signature style and Sonia rolled her eyes. “Tumhara hamesha ka yahi hai, ya to sare kaam mujhe bina bataye kar lete hain ya wo kaam bhi nhi karte jo main kehti hu.” she gave a little disappointed look but her husband smiled with sadness in his eyes.  

(let it be, she won't eat anything)
(This is your usual routine, either you do all the work without telling me or you don't even do the work that I ask.)

“Hmm, ab tujhe bina bataye koi kaam nhi karunga.” Sonia again rolled her eyes without looking at him, she knew her husband could not change this habit but she could ignore everything because this man was the best husband and a great father.

(Hmm, now I will not do anything without telling you.)

“Uncle, un logo ko car mil gyi.” Neha’s voice grabbed the attention of both husband and wife. Sonia looked up for a moment but then looked at the peacock which was almost complete.  

(Uncle, they found the car.)

“Konsi car? Kya hua?” Sonia asked and shifted some pieces left and right to get perfection. “suno, achha lag rha hai na?” she asked her husband who nodded in an ignoring way, his whole attention was fixed on Neha.  

(which car?  What happened?)
(See, it's looking good, right?)

Sonia mixed Plaster of Paris in water to make a slurry and poured it onto the old plastic-covered tray on which she had made that beautiful peacock with a broken mirror. “Kab mili car?” Sonia looked at her husband who was looking serious as same as Neha.  

(When did they find the car?)

“kuchh ghanto pehle, abhi kaam chal hi rha hai.” Neha’s reply was sad. She looked at her aunty to check her expressions then at her uncle. “Uncle, main jau?”

(A few hours ago, work is still going on.)
(uncle, should I go?)

“Baithi reh beta, jaa ke bhi kya karegi?” said the man in a hushed tone and Sonia furrowed.  “kya hua hai kuch bataoge dono? Konsi car mili hai? Kya kaam chal rha hai?” Sonia asked and gently shifted the tray in which she had made the peacock and picked a round plate on which she had made a flower with the same broken mirror two days ago. For the last ten days, she had been utilising the big mirror pieces to make countless articles. Cleaning the article with a dusting cloth she smiled because the mirror flower was looking pretty. She stood up to hang the art work on the wall but stopped by the voice of her niece.

(Stay sitting here only dear, what will you do even if you go?)

(What happened, will you both tell me something?  Which car is found? What work is going on?)

“Dad ne jo nyi car li thi uska accident ho gya tha, wo car mil nhi rhi thi,” Neha informed Sonia and she suddenly turned after listening to the news.

(The new car that dad had bought had an accident and it was missing.)

“Car kon chala rha tha?” Sonia asked Neha with wide eyes, how couldn't she be shocked after knowing that one of her brother's car met an accident. 

(Who was driving the car?)

“Raat ka waqt tha, Driver car chala rha tha, use neend aa gyi aur achanak car control se bahar ho gyi.” Sonia looked at her husband who passed this information to her. She was highly disappointed, how could he hide such tremendous news? 

(It was night time, the driver was driving the car, he fell asleep and suddenly the car went out of control.)

“Aur tum mujhe ab bata rhe ho.” Sonia was angry. “Kon kon tha car mein? Sab kese hain ab?” Asked Sonia in a panic and Neha looked at her uncle. 

(And you're telling me now?)
(Who was in the car? How is everyone now?)

“Sab theek hain Phuppi jaan, bas driver ki halat nazuk hai, uski saase ab bhi chal rhi hain lekin zyada deyr tak nhi chalengi.” Sonia gasped loudly and looked at her husband for a reaction but his expressionless face said that he already knew everything. 

(Everyone is fine Phuppi Jaan, only the condition of the bus driver is critical, he is still breathing but will not last long.)

“kab aur kaha hua accident?” Sonia asked with another level of panic. 

(When and where did the accident happen?)

“10 din pehle, Nainital ke pahad se car neeche gir gyi thi,” Neha informed in a hushed tone and Sonia looked at her husband in disbelief. He said nothing. 

(10 days ago, the car fell from the mountain in Nainital.)

“kon kon tha car mein?” Sonia asked with a sacred voice and shivering hands. Neha looked at her uncle and took a deep pause.  

(Who was in the car?)

“Driver, Mummy, Papa, Bhai, and…” Neha took a pause and looked towards her uncle and… “I and uncle.” 

Sonia looked at her husband and then at the mirror peacock she was holding in her hand to hang on the wall, it was reflecting the sofa but not the image of Neha and her husband. 

<><><>

Author's note:

Read the story one more time 😶‍🌫️

😅😅😅
So, I have tried a horror story for the first time. Let me know how's this.

Naaz Jamal.

The cover credits go to "My Shifa" AKA @shifaaaa__1527